This invention relates generally to waste water recyclying. More particularly, the present invention relates to a waste water recovery and utilization system that converts waste water to usable energy for use by a wide variety of heating and energy applications.
Waste water in the form of gray water and sludge is reclaimed by various methods such as the employing of scrubbers to chemically treat and clean the waste water resulting from a wide variety of waste water streams relative to industrial processes and to commercial and domestic wastes. For example, typical domestic and commercial wastes include those originating from toilets, sinks, drains, laundry, showers, baths and dishwashers. Such wastes are typically discharged, unprocessed, to sewers and septic tanks. Other gray water sources include rain water and melting snow and ice from roofs of homes and commercial facilities which, too, unfortunately are not recovered or utilized in an efficient manner. The reason for the nonutilization of such gray water sources is because there are no known prior art devices or cost effective reclamation systems that are suitable for domestic and commercial applications that can conserve energy and preserve the ecology.
In view of the above mentioned problems and limitations, it was recognized by the present inventor that there is an unfulfilled need for a system which collects, processes and converts gray water to energy that can be utilized for heating, for generating electricity and for other uses.
Accordingly, it becomes clear that there is a great need for a waste water recovery and utilization system that provides the benefits mentioned above and one which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art devices and methods. Such a system should be one that is highly efficient and is economically manufactured.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a waste water recovery and utilization system which avoids the aforementioned problems of prior art devices.
It is another object of this invention to provide a waste water recovery and utilization system that minimizes the discharge of waste streams to the environment.
It is another object of this invention to provide a waste water recovery and utilization system that converts gray water to steam and to electricity.
It is another object of this invention to provide a waste water recovery and utilization system that converts solid waste material to steam and to electricity.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a waste water recovery and utilization system that utilizes alternative energy to convert gray water and solid waste material into electricity.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a waste water recovery and utilization system which may be manufactured from readily available materials by conventional manufacturing processes.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a waste water recovery and utilization system that is simple in design, simple to manufacture, low in cost, safe and is easy to use.
This invention results from the realization that there is a great need for a waste water recovery and utilization system that converts gray water and solid waste material to energy. The resulting invention provides such benefits.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, disclosed is a waste water recovery and utilization system that converts gray water to steam and to electricity. The waste water recovery and utilization system comprises a gray water tank for receiving gray water from waste streams and for receiving make up water from a reservoir when gray water is insufficient to maintain the gray water tank at an operating fill level. A steam generator has a burner means which vaporizes the gray water and thereby generates steam for space heating upon demand. An injector means cooperates with the gray water tank and with the burner means. A condenser with a condenser coil therein throughwhich the steam is selectively allowed to pass produces condensate when cooled by the gray water circulated through the condenser when steam for space heating is not needed. The condensate is collected in a condensate tank. An electrolysis machine cooperating with the condensate tank disassociates the condensate into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen and for the hydrogen is collected in a storage means that cooperates with the burner means and with an electrical power generator.
The second aspect, in accordance with the present invention, is a special case of the first aspect of this invention with additional features including a sewerage tank for receiving liquid sewerage waste and solid macerated sewerage waste from a toilet and burner means for vaporizing the liquid sewerage waste and for incinerating the solid macerated sewerage waste thereby generating steam for space heating upon demand.
The third aspect of the present invention is a special case of the first aspect and second aspects of this invention with additional features including alternate energy means for supplying electrical power to the electrolysis machine when conventional electrical energy is to be conserved.